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A 

MANUAL: 

#  OR  AN 

EASY    METHOD 

OF 

MANAGING    BEES, 

IX   THE    MOST 

PROFITABLE  MANNER  TO  THEIR  OWNER, 

WITH 

INFALLIBLE  RULES  TO  PREVENT  THEIR 
DESTRUCTION  BY  THE  MOTtL 


BY    JOHN    M.    WEEKS, 

Of  Salisbury,  Vt. 


MIDDLEBURY: 

KWAPP     AND     JEWETT,     PRINTEBS 

1836. 


-1 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congrcs?,  m  the  year  1836, 

By  John  M.  Weeks, 
la  (lie  Clerks  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  VeriBont 


PREFACE 


It  appears  to  the  writer  of  the  following  pages,  that  a  work 
of  this  descri[ilioii  is  tmich  iieecled  in  otir  country. 

The  cultivaiioii  of  the  bee  {Apis  Mellifica)  has  been  too 
Ions  neglected  in  most  parts  of  the  United  States. 

This  g-eaeral  ne^iect  has  unquestionably  originated  from  the 
fact,  that  the  European  enemy  to  the  bees,  called  the  moth,  has 
found  its  way  into  this  country,  and  has  located  and  naturalized 
itself  here:  and  has  made  so  much  havoc  among  the  bees,  that 
many  districts  have  entirely  abandoned  their  cultivation.  Many 
Apiarians,  and  men  of  the  highest  literal  y  attainments,  as  well 
as  experience,  have  nearly  exiiausled  their  patience,  in  exam- 
ining the  peculiar  nature'and  habits  of  this  insect ;  and  have 
tried  various  experiments,  to  devise  some  means  of  preventing 
its  depredations.  But,  after  all  that  has  been  done,  the  spoiler 
moves  onward  with  so  little  molestation,  that  but  very  few 
of  our  citizens  are  willing  to  engage  in  the  enterprize  of  culti- 
vating this  most  useful  and  profitable  of  all  insects,  the  honey- 
bee. 

The  following  work  is  comprised  in  a  set  of  plain,  concise, 
rules,  by  which,  if  strictly  adhered  to  and  practised,  any  person, 
properly  situated,  may  cultivate  bees,  and  avail  himself  of  all 
the  benefits  of  their  labors. 

If  the  Apiari;.n  manages  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  fol- 
lowing rules,  the  Author  feels  confident,  that  no  colony  will 
ever  materially  suffer  by_th^im»th,^r  wilL&ver  be  destroyed 
by  them.  _  1  4844x 

The  author  is  aware T3HlT#TitJmemjs^ri;5lises  published  on 
this  subject ;  but  they  appear  to  him,  for  the  most  part,  not  to 
be  the  result  of  so  much  ex[)erience  as  vague  and  conjectural 
speculation,  and  not  sufficiently  embodying  what  is  practical 
and  useful. 

This  work  is  inten  led  as  an  accompaniment  to  the  Vermont 
hive,  and  will  be  found  to  be  the  result  of  observation  and  ex- 
perience, and  it  is  thought  comprises  all  that  is  necessary  to 
make  a  skilful  Apiarian. 

THE  AUTHOR 


INDEX 


I  Page. 

Rule  I.  On  the  construction  of  the  hive,       -        .        -        6 

RiTLi:  Il/On  swarming  and  hiving,       -        -        -        -  11 

Rule  111.  On  ventilating, 22 

Rule  IV.  On  preventing  robberies,      -        -        -        -  23 
Rule  V.  On  equalizing  colonies,  by  doubling,  trebling,  &c.  26 

Rule  VI.  On  rcn;oving  honey, 29 

Rule  VII.  The  method  of  compelling  swarms  to  make 
extra  Q,ueens,  and  keep  tliem  for  the  use  of 

their  owner,       ------  33 

Rule  Vtll.  On  supplying  swarms  with  Gtueens,  when 

necessary,        ------  37 

Rule  IX.  On  mulliplying  colonies  to  any  dciirablc  ex- 
tent, wiihoul.  swarming,      -        -        -        -  41 

Rule  X.  On  preventing  the  depredations  of  the  molh,  43 

Rule  XI.  On  feeding,         ...        -        -        -        -  66 

Rule  XII.  On  wintering, 60 

Rule  XI II.  On  transferring  bees  from  one  hive  to  another,  61 

XIV.  General  observations,      .        ^        -        -  6^ 


O^i^^r  It'.    Affi     /.  4). 


MANUAL,   &c 


RULE  I. 

ON  THE  CONSTRUCTION  OF  A  BEE  HIVE. 

A  beehive  should  be  made  of  sound  boards, 
free  from  shakes  and  cracks ;  it  should  also 
be  planed  sraoothj  inside  and  out,  made  in  a 
workmanlike  manner,  and  painted  on  its  out- 
side. 

R  E  ivi  A  R  K  s  . 

That  a  beehive  should  be  made  perfect,  so 
as  to  exclude  light  and  air,  is  obvious  from  the 
fact,  that  the  bees  will  finish  what  the  work- 
man has  neglected,  by  plastering  up  all  such 
cracks  and  crevices,  or  bad  joints,  which  are 
left  open  by  the  joiner ;  this  substance  is  nei- 
ther honey  nor  wax,  but  a  kind  of  glue  or 
cement  of  their  own  manufacturing,  and  is 
used  by  the  bees  to  fill  up  all  imperfect  joints 
and  exclude  all  light  and  air.  This  cement 
2 

D.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 
North  Carolina  State  College 


b  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

or  glue  is  very  congenial  to  the  growth  of  tiie 
moth  in  the  first  stages  of  its  existence. 

The  moth  miller  enters  the  hive,  generally 5. 
in  the  night,  makes  an  incision  into  the  glue 
or  cement  with  her  abdominal  sting,  leaves 
her  eggs  deposited  in  the  glue,  where  it  re- 
mains secure  from  the  bees  ;  it  beincr  o-uarded 
by  the  timber  on  its  sides.  Thus,  while  a 
maggot,  (larva)  the  moth  uses  the  cement  for 
food  until  it  arrives  so  far  towards  a  state  of 
maturity  as  to  be  able  to  spin  a  web,  which  is 
more  fully  explained  in  our  remarks  on  Rule 
10. 

The  size  of  a  hive  should  be  in  accordance 
with  the  strictest  rules  of  economy,  and  adap- 
ted to  the  peculiar  nature  and  economy  of  the 
honey-bee,  in  order  to  make  them  profitable 
to  their  owner. 

The  lower  apartment  of  the  hive,  where 
they  store  their  food,  raise  their  young  bees, 
and  perform  their  ordinary  labors,  should  hold 
as  much  as  a  box  thirteen  inches  and  one  half 
or  fourteen  inches  square  in  the  clear  or  area. 

If  the  hive  is  much  larsrer  than  the  one  de- 


MANAGING  BEES.  7 

scribed  above,  with  their  chamber  in  propor- 
tion, which  should  hold  about  two  thirds  as 
much  as  the  lower  apartment,  the  bees  will 
not  be  likely  to  swarm  during  the  season. 

Large  hives  never  swarm  ;  and  those,  much 
less  than  the  one  already  described,  do  but 
little  else  than  raise  young  bees  and  lay  up  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  food  to  supply  them 
through  the  coming  winter,  and  are  more  liable 
to  be  robbed. 

All  hives  that  swarm  are  liable  to  swarm 
too  much,  and  reduce  their  colonies  so  low  in 
numbers  as  to  materially  injure  them,  and  is 
frequently  the  cause  of  their  destruction  by  the 
moth,  which  is  more  particularly  explained  in 
our  remarks  on  Rule  2. 

The  chamber  of  the  hive  should  be  made 
perfectly  tight,  so  as  to  exclude  all  light  from 
the  drawers. 

Drawers  should  be  small  like  No.  2,  for  all 
purposes  except  such  as  are  used  for  multi- 
plying colonies  and  transferring,  which  should 
always  be  large  like  No.  1. 

Hives  should  have  elects  on  their  sides,  so 
2* 


8  AN  EASy  METHOD  OF 

as  to  suspend  them  in  the  air  some  distance 
from  the  floor  of  the  apiary,  the  belter  to  se- 
cure the  bees  from  destruction  by  mice,  rep- 
tiles, and  other  vermin. 

The  back  side  or  rear  of  the  lower  apart- 
ment of  the  hive  should  project  or  slant  for- 
ward, so  as  to  render  the  same  smallest  at  the 
bottom,  the  better  to  secure  the  combs  from 
falling  when  cracked  by  frost  or  nearly  melted 
in  hot  weather. 

No  timbers  or  boards  should  come  very 
near  the  lower  edge  of  the  hive,  because  it 
facilitates  the  entrance  of  depredators.  That 
the  back  side  should  slant  forward,  is  obvious 
from  the  fact,  that  bees  generally  rest  one  edge 
of  their  combs  on  the  same  and  build  towards 
the  front  in  such  a  manner  as  to  enter  upon 
the  same  sheet  where  they  intend  to  deposit 
their  stores,  where  they  first  enter  the  hive, 
without  being  compelled  to  take  any  unneces- 
sary steps. 

The  bottom  of  the  hive  should  slant  down- 
ward from  rear  to  front,  so  as  to  afford  the 
greatest  facility  to  the  bees  to  clear  their  ten- 


MANAGING  BEES.  >t 

ement  of  all  offensive  substances,  and  let  the 
water,  which  is  occasioned  by  the  breath  and 
steam  of  the  bees,  run  off  in  cold  weather. 
It  also  aids  the  bees  very  much  in  preventing 
the  entrance  of  robbers. 

The  bottom  board  should  be  suspended  by 
staples  and  hooks  near  each  corner  of  the  hive,, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  afford  a  free  entrance 
and  egress  to  the  bees  on  all  its  sides,  which  will 
better  enable  them  to  keep  their  tenement 
clear  of  the  moths. 

There  should  be  a  button  attached  to  the 
lower  edge  of  the  rear  of  the  hive,  so  as  to 
enable  tlie  Apiarian  to  govern  the  same  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  give  all  the  air  they  need, 
or  close  the  hive  at  pleasure. 

The  hive  should  have  two  sticks  placed  at 
equal  distances,  extending  from  front  to  rear, 
resting  on  the  rear,  with  a  screw  drawn  through 
the  front  into  the  end  of  the  stick,  which  holds 
it  fast  in  its  place. 

The  door  to  the  chamber  should  be  made 
to  fit  in  the  rabitings  of  the  same  against  the 
jambs,  in   such  a  mannjer  as  to  exclude  the 


10  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

light  from  the  windows  of  the  drawers,  and 
also  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  the  httle  ants. 
It  should  also  be  hung  by  butts,  or  fastened  by 
a  bar,  running  vertically  across  the  centre  o^ 
the  door,  and  confined  by  staples  at  each  end. 

There  should  be  three  sheet  iron  slides,  one 
of  which  should  be  nearly  as  wide  as  the 
chamber,  and  one  or  two  inches  longer  than 
the  length  of  the  chamber.  The  other  two 
should  be  the  same  length  of  the  first,  and  half 
its  width  only. 

All  hives  and  all  their  appendages  should 
be  made  exactly  of  a  size  and  shape  in  the 
same  apiary.  The  trouble  of  equlaizing  col- 
onies is  far  less  than  it  is  to  accommodate  hives 
to  swarms.  Much  perplexity  and  sometimes 
serious  difficulties  occur,  where  the  Apiarian 
uses  different  sized  hives  and  drawers.  But 
this  part  of  the  subject  will  be  more  fully  dis- 
cussed under  its  proper  rule. 


MANAGING  BEES.  11 


RULE     II. 

ON  SWARMING  AND  HIVING. 

The  Apiarian  or  bee  owner,  should  have 
his  hives  in  readiness  and  in  their  places  in  the 
apiary,  with  the  drawers  in  their  chambers 
bottom  up,  so  as  to  prevent  entrance. 

When  a  swarm  comes  forth  and  has  alighted, 
cut  off  the  limb  if  conveient,  shake  it  gently, 
so  as  to  disengage  the  bees,  and  let  them  fall 
gently  on  to  the  table,  board,  or  ground  (as 
the  case  may  be)  place  the  hive  over  them 
before  many  rise  into  the  air,  taking  care  at 
the  same  time  to  lay  one  or  more  sticks  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  raise  the  hive  so  as 
to  give  the  bees  rapid  ingress  and  egress. 
If  the  bees  act  reluctantly  in  taking  pos- 
session of  their  new  habitation,  disturb  them 
by  brushing  them  gently  with  a  goose  quill  or 
some  other  instrument,  not  harsh,  and  they  will 
soon  enter.  In  case  it  is  found  necessary  to 
invert  the  hive  to  receive  the  bees,  (which  is 
frequent,  from  the  manner  of  their  alighting,) 
then,  first,  secure  the  drawers  dcwn  to  the  floor 
bv  insertinoj  a  handkerchief  or  somethinor  above 
them  ;  now  invert  the  hive  and  shake  or  brush 
ihe  bees  gently  into  it ;  now  turn  it  gently  right 


12  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

end  up  on  the  table,  or  as  the  case  may  be, 
observing  the  rule  aforesaid. 

REMARKS. 

Bees  swarm  from  nine  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing to  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on  a  fair 
day,  differing  in  the  season  according  to  the 
climate.  In  Vermont  they  generally  swarm 
from  the  middle  of  May  to  the  fifteenth  of 
July ;  in  late  seasons  some  later.  I  have 
known  them  to  swarm  as  early  as,seven  in  the 
morning  and  as  late  as  four  in  the  afternoon. 
I  have  also  known  them  to  come  forth  when 
it  rained  so  hard  as  nearly  to  defeat  them  by 
beating  down  many  to  the  ground  which  were 
probably  lost  from  their  colony  ;  and  I  once 
had  a  swarm  come  forth  on  the  sixteenth  day 
of  August. 

Experience  and  observation  has  taught  that 
tlie  Queen  leaves  the  old  stock  first,  and  her 
colony  rapidly  follow.  They  fly  about  a  few 
minutes,  apparently  in  the  greatest  confusion, 
nntil  the  swarm  is  principally  out  of  the  hive. 
They  then  alight,  generally  or  the  limb  of  some 
tree,  shrub,  or  bush,  or  some  other  place  con-. 


MANAGING  BEES.  13 

venient  for  them  to  cluster  in  a  bunch  not  far 
from  the  old  stock  and  make  their  arrange- 
ments for  a  journey  to  a  new  habitation.  Per- 
haps not  one  swarm  in  a  thousand  knows 
where  they  are  going  until  after  they  have 
left  the  old  stock,  alighted,  formed  into  a 
compact  body  or  cluster,  and  not  then  until 
they  have  sent  off  an  embassy  to  search  out  a 
place  for  their  future  residence.  Now  if  the 
bees  are  hived  immediately  after  they  have 
alighted,  before  they  send  off  their  embassy  to 
seek  a  new  tenement,  they  will  never  fly 
away,  admitting  they  have  sufficient  room,  (for 
it  is  want  of  room  that  makes  them  swarm 
in  the  first  place)  and  their  hive  is  also  clear 
of  ei^ery  thing  that  is  offensive  to  them. 

The  old  custom  of  washing  hives  with  salt 
and  water  and  other  substances,  to  give  it  a 
pleasant  effluvia,  should  be  speedily  abolished. 
Nothing  but  bees  should  ever  be  puc  into  a 
hive. 

When  bees  die,  the  hive  should  be  cleared 
of  its  contents  and  scraped  out  clean,  and  the 
the  chamber  rubbed  with  cloth  wet  in  clean 


14  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

water ;  then  set  it  in  its  place  in  the  apiary, 
and  there  let  it  stand  until  wanted  for  use.  An 
old  hive,  thus  prepared,  is  as  good  as  a  new 
one  for  the  reception  of  a  swarm.  The  Api- 
arian should  examine  before  using  to  see  that 
the  hive  is  free  from  spiders  and  cobwebs. 

When  bees  are  not  hived  immediately  after 
they  have  clustered  in  a  body,  they  should  be 
removed  to  the  apiary,  or  several  rods  from 
the  place  where  they  alighted,  as  soon  as  they 
can  be  hived,  to  prevent  their  being  found  on 
the  return  of  the  embassy.  Since  I  have  thus 
practised,  I  have  never  lost  a  swarm  by  flight. 

Experience  has  taught  that  it  is  best  to  re- 
move the  new  swarm  to  the  place  where  it  is 
intended  to  stand  during  the  season,  immedi- 
ately after  hiving.  Fewer  bees  are  lost  by 
a  speedy  removal,  than  when  permitted  to 
stand  until  evening,  because  they  are  creatures 
o^  habit,  and  are  every  moment  establishing 
themselves  in  their  location.  The  longer  they 
stand  in  the  place  where  they  are  hived,  the 
greater  will  be  the  number  lost  when  removed. 
But  more  of  this  hereafter. 


MANAGING  BEES.  15 

When  bees  are  collected  in  drawers  for  the 
purpose  of  equalizing  colonies,  by  doubling, 
&ic.,  they  should  be  permitted  to  stand  until 
evening  before  they  are  united,  it  being  a  more 
favorable  time  for  them  to  become  acquainted 
with  each  other  by  degrees  :  and  the  scent  of 
the  bees  in  the  lower  apartment  will  enter 
through  the  apertures  during  the  night  so 
much  that  there  is  a  greater  degree  of  same- 
ness in  the  peculiar  smell  of  the  two  colonies, 
which  takes  off  their  animosity,  if  they  chance 
to  have  any. 

No  confusion  or  noise  which  is  uncommon 
to  the  bees  should  ever  be  made  during  their 
swarming  or  hiving.  The  only  effect  of  noise, 
ringing  of  bells,  he.  that  I  could  ever  discover, 
was,  to  render  them  more  hostile  and  unman- 
ageable. 

When  bees  are  treated  in  accordance  with 
their  true  nature,  they  are  sometimes  hostile, 
which  originates  from  two  causes.  First,  some 
of  them  lie  out  of  the  hive  before  swarming, 
and  some  of  them,  in  consequence  of  their 
confusion  in  swarming,  are  not  apprised  of  the 


? 


16  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

intention  of  the  Queen  to  leave  the  old  stock 
and  seek  a  new  habitation,  and  they  sally  forth 
with  the  swarm  without  filling  their  sacks  with 
stores,  which  always  makes  them  more  irrita- 
ble than  when  their  stomachs  are  filled  with 
food. 

The  Vermont  hive  possesses  advantages  in 
this  respect,  as  well  as  others,  far  superior  to 
the  old  box.  Instead  of  lying  out  before 
swarming,  as  in  the  old  box,  they  go  up  into 
the  drawers,  and  are  constantly  employed  in 
depositing  the  delicious  fruits  of  their  labors ; 
and  being  in  the  hive,  where  they  can  hear 
and  observe  all  the  movements  of  the  Queen, 
they  go  forth  well  stored  with  provisions  suited 
to  the  peculiar  contingency  of  the  case ;  which 
ordinarily  repels  all  their  feelings  of  hostility. 

The  second  reason  why  bees  are  sometimes 
irritable,  and  are  disposed  to  sting  when  they 
swarm,  is,  the  air  is  forbidding  to  them,  by 
being  cold  or  otherwise,  so  as  to  impede  them 
in  their  determined  emigration.  In  all  such 
cases,  the  Apiarian  should  be  furnished  with  a 
veil,  made  of  millinet,  or  some  light  covering, 


MANAGING  BEES.  17 

which  may  be  thrown  over  his  hat,  and  let 
down  so  low  as  to  cover  his  face  and  bosom, 
and  fixed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  their 
stinging.  He  should  also  put  on  a  pair  of 
thick  woolen  stockings  over  his  hands,  thus 
managing  them  without  the  least  danger. 

A  clean  hive  is  all  that  is  needed  for  a  swarm 
of  bees,  with  careful  and  humane  treatment. 

I  know  of  no  rule  by  which  the  exact  day 
of  their  first  swarming  can  be  known  with 
certainty.  The  Apiarian  will  estimate  near 
the  time  by  the  number  of  bees  in  and  about 
the  hive,  as  it  will  become  very  much  crowded. 

The  day  of  second  swarming,  and  all  after 
that  during  the  same  season,  may  be  most 
certainly  predicted  as  follows.  Listen  near 
the  entrance  of  the  hive  in  the  evening.  If 
a  swarm  is  coming  forth  the  next  day,  the 
Queen  will  be  heard  giving  an  alarm  at  short 
Intervals.  The  same  alarm  may  generally  be 
heard  the  next  morning.  The  observer  will 
generally  hear  two  Queens  at  a  time  in  the 
same  hive,  the  one  much  louder  than  the  other. 
The  one  making  the  least  noise  is  yet  in  her 


18  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

cell,  and  in  her  minority.  The  sound  emitted 
by  the  Queens  is  pecuhar,  differing  materially 
from  that  of  any  other  bee.  It  consists  of  a 
number  of  monotonous  notes  in  rapid  succes- 
sion, similar  to  those  emitted  by  the  mud-wasp 
when  working  her  mortar  and  joining  it  to  her 
cells,  to  raise  miss-wasps.  If,  after  all,  the 
weather  is  unfavorable  to  their  swarming  two 
or  three  days  while  in  this  peculiar  stage,  they 
will  not  be  likely  to  swarm  again  the  same 
season. 

Two  reasons,  and  two  only,  can  be  assigned 
why  bees  ever  swarm.  The  first  is,  want  of 
room,  and  the  second,  to  avoid  the  battle  of 
the  QueenSi  It  is  indeed  true  that  there  are 
exceptions.  Perhaps  one  in  a  hundred  swarms 
may  come  forth  before  their  hive  is  filled  with 
W  comb  ;  but  from  nearly  forty  years  experience 
in  their  cultivation,  I  never  saw  an  instance  of 
it,  where  the  hive  was  not  full  of  bees  at  their 
first  swarming.  When  the  first  swarm  comes 
forth,  eggs,  young  brood,  or  both,  are  left  in 
the  combs,  but  no  Queen  :  for  the  old  Queen 
always  goes  forth  with  the  swarm,  and  leaves 


MANAGING  BEES.  19 

the  old  stock  entirely  destitute.  IN'ot  a  single 
Queen,  in  any  stage  of  minority,  is  left  in  the 
hive. 

The  bees  very  soon  find  themselves  desti- 
tute of  the  means  of  propagating  their  species, 
for  the  Queen  is  the  only  female  in  the  hive, 
and  immediately  set  themselves  to  work  in 
constructing  several  royal  cells,  probably  to 
be  more  sure  of  success;  take  a  grub  {larva) 
from  the  cell  of  a  common  worker,  place  it 
in  the  new-made  royal  cell,  feed  it  on 
royal  jelly,  and  in  a  few  days  they  have  a 
Queen.  Now  as  the  eggs  are  laid  in  about 
three  litters  per  week,  the  bees,  to  be  still 
more  sure  of  succeeding  in  their  laudable  en- 
terprize,  take  maggots,  differing  only  in  age, 
so  that  if  more  than  one  Queen  is  hatched, 
one  will  be  older  than  the  others.  This  fact 
accounts  for  hearing  more  than  one  Queen  at 
the  same  time,  because  one  comes  out  a  per- 
fect fly,  while  the  other  is  a  nymph,  or  a  little 
younger,  and  has  not  yet  made  her  escape 
from  the  cell  where  she  was  raised,  and  yet 
both  answer  the  alarm  of  the  other,  the  young- 
est more  feebly  than  the  elder. 


20  AN  EASY  METHOD   OF 

Bees  will  never  swarm  but  once  the  same 
season,  unless  they  make  more  than  one 
Queen,  immediately  after  the  departure  of  the 
first  swarm  ;  and  not  then,  if  the  bees  permit  the 
oldest  Queen  to  come  in  contact  with  the  cell 
where  the  younger  ones  are  growing.  Queens 
entertain  the  most  deadly  animosity  towards 
each  other,  and  will  commence  an  attack  upon 
each  other  the  first  moment  opportunity  of- 
fers; the  old  Queen  will  even  tear  all  the 
cradles  or  cells  to  pieces  where  young  ones 
are  growing,  and  destroy  all  the  chrysalis 
Queens  in  the  hive. 

If  the  weather  becomes  unfavorable  to 
swarming,  the  next  day  after  the  alarm  of  the 
Queen  is  heard,  and  continues  so  for  several 
days,  the  oldest  Queen  may  come  in  contact 
with  the  other,  or  gain  access  to  their  cells  ;  in 
either  case  the  life  of  one  of  them  is  destroy- 
ed by  the  other,  and  the  colony  will  not  be 
likely  to  send  forth  another  swarm  the  same 
season.  If  the  old  Queen  succeeds  in  taking 
the  life  of  the  younger,  or  vice  versa,  the  re- 
mainmg  nymphs  will  be  likely  to  share  the 


MANAGING   BEES.  '<il 

same  fate  of  her  martyred  sisters,  by  the  hand 
of  the  reigning  Queen,  who  considers  all  oth- 
ers in  the  same  hive  as  her  competitors. 

Second  swarms  would  be  as  large  and  nu- 
merous as  any  others,  if  it  was  not  the  fact, 
that  they  come  forth  to  avoid  the  battle  of  the 
Queens.  Bees  are  very  tenacious  to  preserve 
the  lives  of  their  sovereigns,  particularly  those 
of  their  own  raising  ;  and  when  they  find  they 
have  more  than  one  in  the  hive,  they  will 
guard  each  so  strong  as  to  prevent,  if  possible, 
their  coming  within  reach  of  each  other.  They 
jpe'mg  thus  strongly  guarded  to  prevent  the 
fight,  is  unquestionably  the  cause  of  their  giv- 
ing the  alarm,  as  described  in  the  foregoing 
article.  The  knowledge  of  the  existence  of 
another  Queen  m  the  same  hive  inspires  them 
with  the  greatest  uneasiness  and  rage :  and 
when  the  oldest  one  finds  herself  defeated  in 
gaining  access  to  her  competitor,  she  sallies 
forth  with  as  many  as  see  fit  to  follow  her,  and 
seeks  a  new  habitation. 

The  drawers  should  be  turned  over,  so  as 
Xto  let  the  bees  into  them  as  soon  as  they  have 


eCfm^^ 


•22  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

built  their  combs  nearly  to  the  bottom  of  the 
hive.  If  the  swarm  is  so  large  that  the  lower 
apartment  will  not  hold  all  of  them,  they  should 
be  let  into  one  or  both  of  the  drawers,  at  the 
time  of  hiv^ing  ;  otherwise  they  may  go  off  for 
want  of  room. 


RULE    III. 

ON  VENTILATING  THE  HIVE. 

Graduate  the  bottom  board  at  pleasure,  by 
means  of  the  button  or  otherwise,  so  as  to  give> 
them  more  or  less  air,  as  the  circumstances 
may  require. 

REMARKS. 

Bees  require  more  air  in  order  to  enable 
them  to  endure  the  heat  of  summer  and  the 
severity  of  winter,  than  at  any  other  time. 
If  they  are  kept  out  in  the  cold,  they  need  as 
much  air  in  the  winter  as  in  the  heat  of  sum- 
mer^ It  is  in  a  mild  temperature  only,  that 
it  is  safe  to  keep  them  from  the  pure  air.  If 
placed  below  frost  in  a  dry  sand  bank,  they  * 


^.^,\\ 


MANAGING  BEES.  23 

seem  to  need  scarcely  more  than  is  contained 
in  their  hive  at  the  time  they  are  buried,  dur- 
ing the  whole  winter.  If  kept  in  a  clean, 
dry  cellar,  the  mouth,  so  contracted  as  to  keep 
out  mice,  gives  them  enough.  But  if  they 
are  kept  in  the  apiary,  the  bottom  board  should 
be  suspended  as  low  as  in  heat  of  summer. 
My  stocks  have  wintered  best,  which  have 
had  at  least  one  inch  space  betwixt  the  bottom 
board  and  the  lower  edges  of  the  hive. 


RULE    IV. 

ON  PREVENTING  ROBBERIES. 

At  the  moment  it  is  observed,  that  robbers 
are  within,  or  about  the  hive,  raise  the  bottom 
board  so  near  the  edge  of  the  hive  as  to  pre- 
vent the  ingress  or  egress  of  the  bees,  and  stop 
the  mouth  or  common  entrance.  At  the 
same  time  take  care  that  a  small  space  on  all 
sides  of  the  hive  be  left  open,  so  as  to  afford 
them  all  the  air  they  need.  Open  the  mouih 
only  at  evening  and  close  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, before  the  robbers  renew  their  attack. 
3* 


•24  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

R  E  M  A  .^  K  S  . 

Bees  have  a  peculiar  propensity  to  rob  each 
other,  and  every  precaution,  necessary  to  pre- 
vent it,  should  be  exercised  by  the  cultivator. 
Families  in  the  same  apiary  are  more  likely 
to  engage  in  this  unlawful  enterprize  than  any 
others,  probably  because  they  are  located  so 
near  each  other,  and  are  more  likely  to  learn 
their  comparative  strength.  I  never  could 
discover  any  intimacy  between  colonies  of  the 
same  apiary,  except  when  they  stood  on  the 
same  bench ;  and  then,  all  the  social  inter- 
course seems  to  subsist  between  the  nearest 
neighbors  only. 

Bees  are  not  likely  to  engage  in  warfare 
and  rob  each  other,  except  in  the  spring  and 
fall,  and  at  other  times  in  the  season,  when 
food  is  not  easily  obtained  from  blossoms. 

Bees  do  not  often  engage  in  robbery  in  the 
spring,  unless  it  is  in  such  hives  as  have  had 
their  combs  broken  by  frost  or  otherwise,  so 
as  to  cause  the  honey  to  drip  down  upon  the 
bottom  board.  Much  care  should  be  exercis- 
ed by  ihe  Apiarian  to  see  that  all  such  hives 


MANAGING  BEES.  25 

are  properly  ventilated,  and  at  the  same  time 
closed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  the  en- 
trance of  robbers  in  the  day-time,  until  they 
have  mended  the  breach,  so  as  to  stop  the 
honey  from  running. 

Clear  water  should  be  given  them  every 
day,  so  long  as  they  are  kept  in  confinement. 

I  have  known  many  good  stocks  to  be  lost 
in  the  spring,  by  being  robbed ;  and  all  for 
want  of  care.  Bees  rob  each  other  when  they 
can  find  but  little  else  to  do ;  they  will  rob  at 
any  time  when  frost  has  destroyed  the  flow- 
ers, or  the  weather  is  so  cold  as  to  prevent 
their  collectig  honey  from  them.  Cold,  chil- 
ly weather  prevents  the  flowers  from  yielding 
honey  without  frost,  as  was  the  case  in  the 
summer  of  1835,  in  many  places. 

Bees  need  but  little  air  at  any  time  when 
they  rob,  and  yet  more  is  necessary  tor  them, 
when  confined  by  compulsory  means,  than  at  any 
other  time.  When  deprived  oftheir  liberty,  they 
soon  become  restless,  and  use  their  best  efforts 
to  make  their  way  out  of  the  hive  ;  hence  the 
importance  of  leaving  a  small  space  all  around 


26  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

the  bottom,  to  admit  air  and  to  prevent  their 
melting  down. 


RULE    V. 

ON  EdUALIZlNG  COLONIES. 

Hive  one  swarm  in  the  the  lower  apartment 
of  the  hive  ;  collect  another  swarm  in  a  draw- 
er, and  insert  the  same  in  tlie  chamber  of  the 
hive  containing  the  first.  Then,  if  the  swarms 
are  small,  collect  another  small  swarm  in  an- 
other drawer,  and  insert  the  same  in  the  cham- 
ber of  the  hive  containing  the  first,  by  the 
side  of  the  second.  In  case  all  the  bees  from 
either  of  the  drawers,  amalgamate  and  go  be- 
low with  the  first  swarm  and  leave  the  drawer 
empty,  then  it  may  be  removed,  and  another 
small  swarm  added  in  the  same  manner. 

REMARKS. 

It  is  of  prime  importance  to  every  bee  culti- 
vator, that  all  his  colonies  be  made  as  near 
equal  in  numbers  and  strength,  as  possible. 
Every  experienced  bee-master  must  be  aware 
that  small  swarms  are  of  but  little  profit  to 


iMANAGING  BEES.  27 

their  owner.  Generally,  in  a  few  days  after 
they  are  hived,  they  are  gone ;  no  one  can 
trace  their  steps  ;  some  suppose  they  have  fled 
to  the  woods,  others  that  they  were  robbed  ; 
but,  after  all,  no  one  is  able  to  give  any  satis- 
factory account  of  them.  Some  pieces  of 
comb  only  are  left,  and  perhaps  myriads  of 
worms  and  millers  finish  off  the  whole.  Then 
the  moth  is  supposed  to  be  their  destroyer,  but 
the  true  history  of  the  case  is  generally  this : 
The  bees  become  discouraged,  or  disheartened, 
for  want  of  numbers  to  constitute  their  colony, 
abandon  their  tenement,  and  join  with  their 
nearest  neighbors,  leaving  their  combs  to  the 
merciless  depredations  of  the  moth.  They 
are  sometimes  robbed  by  their  adjoining  hives, 
and  then  the  moths  finish  or  destroy  the  combs 
and  bread. 

Second  swarms  are  generally  about  half  as 
large  as  the  first,  and  third  swarms  half  as 
large  as  second  ones. 

Now  if  second  swarms  are  doubled,  so  as 
to  make  them  equal  in  number  with  the  first, 
the  owner  avails  himself  of  the  advantage  of  a 


28  AN   EASY  METHOD   OF 

Strong  colony,  which  will  not  be  likely  to  be- 
come disheartened,  for  want  of  numbers,  nor 
overcome  by  robbers  from  stronger  colonies. 

It  is  far  less  trouble,  and  less  expense,  for 
the  bee  owner  to  equalize  his  colonies,  than 
to  prepare  hives  and  drawers  of  different  sizes 
to  fit  colonies. 

VViien  colonies  and  hives  are  made  as  near 
alike  as  possible,  many  evils  are  avoided,  and 
many  advantages  realized ;  every  hive  will  fit 
a  place  in  the  apiary,  every  drawer  a  hive, 
and  every  bottom  board  and  slide  will  in  any 
case  be  used  without  mistakes. 

Swarms  may  be  doubled  at  any  time  before 
they  become  so  located  as  to  resume  their 
former  hostility,  which  will  not  be  discovered 
in  less  than  three  or  four  days.  Now  bees 
are  provided  with  a  reservoir,  or  sack,  to  car- 
ry their  provision  in  ;  and  when  they  swarm, 
they  go  loaded  with  provision  suited  to  their 
emergency,  which  takes  off  all  their  hostility 
towards  each  other;  and  until  these  sacks  are 
emptied,  they  are  not  easily  vexed,  and  as 
Miey  are  compelled  to  build  combs  before  they 


MANAGING  BEES.  29 

can  empty  ihem,  it  takes  tljem  several  days. 
I  have  doubled,  at  a  fortnight's  interval  in 
swarming,  with  entire  success.  The  operation 
should  be  performed  within  two  or  three  days, 
at  the  farthest  four  days.  The  sooner  it  is 
done,  the  less  hazardous  is  the  experiment. 

As  a  general  rule,  second  swarms  only 
should  be  doubled.  Third  and  fourth  swarms 
should  always  have  their  Queen  taken  from 
them  and  the  bees  returned  to  the  parent  stock, 
according  to  Rule  10. 


RULE    V  I.  • 

ON  REMOVING  HONEY. 

Insert  a  slide  between  the  drawer  and  floor, 
to  the  chamber,  so  far  as  to  cut  off  all  com- 
munication between  the  louer  apartment  and 
the  drawer.  Insert  another  slide  between  the 
first  slide  and  the  drawer.  Now  draw  out  the 
box  containing  the  honey.  Set  the  drawer 
on  its  window  end,  a  little  distance  from  ttie 
apiary,  and  remove  the  slide.  Now  supply 
the  place  of  the  drawer,  thus  removed,  with 


30  AN  EASY  METHOD   OF 

an  empty  one,  and  draw  the  first  inserted 
slide. 

REMARKS. 

Care  must  be  exercised  in  performing  this 
operation.  The  apertures  through  the  floor 
into  the  chamber  must  be  kept  closed  during 
the  process,  so  as  to  keep  the  bees  from  rush- 
ing up  into  the  chamber  when  the  box  is  drawn 
out.  The  operator  must  likewise  see  that  the 
entrances  into  the  drawer  are  kept  covered 
with  the  slide,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent 
the  escape  of  any  of  the  bees,  unless  he  is 
willing  to  be  stung  by  them.  If  the  bees  are 
permitted  to  enter  the  chamber  in  very  warm 
weather,  they  will  be  likely  to  hold  the  occu- 
pancy of  it,  and  build  comb  there,  which  will 
change  the  hive  into  one  no  better  than  an  old 
fashioned  box. 

I  have  succeeded  best  in  removing  honey 
by  the  following  method,  to  wit:  Shut  the 
window  blinds  so  as  to  darken  one  of  the  rooms 
in  the  dwelling  house — raise  up  one  casement 
of  a  window — then  carry  the  drawer  and  place 
the  same  on  a  table,  or  stand,  by  the  window, 


MANAGING  BEES.  31 

on  its  light  or  glass  end,  with  the  appertures 
towards  the  light.  Now  remove  the  slide, 
and  step  immediately  back  into  the  dark  part 
of  the  room.  The  bees  will  soon  learn  their 
true  condition,  and  will  gradually  leave  the 
drawer,  and  return  home  to  the  parent  stock ; 
thus  leaving  the  drawer  and  its  contents  for 
their  owner  ;  not  however  until  they  have  suck- 
ed every  drop  of  running  honey,  if  there  should 
chance  to  be  any,  which  is  not  often  the  case, 
if  their  work  is  finished. 

There  are  two  cases  in  which  the  bees  man- 
ifest some  reluctance  in  leaving  the  drawer. 
The  first  is,  when  the  combs  are  in  an  unfin- 
ished state,  some  of  the  cells  not  sealed  over. 
The  bees  manifest  a  great  desire  to  remain 
there,  probably  to  make  their  stores  more  se- 
cure from  robbers.,  by  affixing  caps  to  the  un- 
covered cells,  to  prevent  the  effluvia  of  run- 
ning honey,  which  is  always  the  greatest 
temptation  to  robbers. 

Bees  manifest  the  greatest  reluctance  in 
leaving  the  drawer,  when  young  brood  are  re- 
moved in   it,  which  never  occurs,  except  in 


3*2  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

such  drawers  as  have  been  used  for  feeding  m 
the  winter  or  early  in  the  spring.  When  the 
Queen  has  deposited  eggs  in  all  the  empty 
cells  below,  she  sometimes  enters  the  drawers; 
and  if  empty  cells  are  found,  she  deposites 
eofors  there  also.  In  either  case,  it  is  better  to 
return  the  drawer,  which  will  be  made  perfect 
by  them  in  a  few  days. 

Special  care  is  necessary  in  storing  drawers 
of  honey,  when  removed  from  the  care  and 
protection  of  the  bees,  in  order  to  preserve  the 
honey  from  insects,  which  never  make  sweet, 
but  are  great  lovers  of  honey,  particularly  the 
ant.  A  chest,  made  perfectly  tight,  is  a  good 
store-house. 

If  the  honey  in  the  drawers  is  to  be  pre- 
served for  winter  use,  it  should  be  kept  in  a 
room  so  warm  as  not  to  freeze.  Frost  cracks 
the  combs,  and  the  honey  will  drip  as  soon 
as  warm  weathei  commences.  Drawers  should 
be  packed  with  their  appertures  up,  for  keep- 
ins:  or  carryint:  to  market. 


MANAGING  BEES.  33 


RULE     VII. 

THE  METHOD  OF   COMPELLING    SWARMS   TO 

MAKE  AND  KEEP  EXTRA  aUEENS,  FOR 

THEIR  APIARIAN,  OR  OWNER. 

Take  a  drawer  containing  bees  and  brood 
comb;  and  place  the  same  in  the  chamber  of 
an  empty  hive  ;  taking  care  to  stop  the  en- 
trance of  the  hiv^C;  and  give  them  clean  water, 
daily,  three  or  four  days.  Then  unstop  the 
mouth  of  the  hive,  and  continue  to  them  their 
liberty.  The  operator  must  observe  Rule  6 
in  using  the  slides. 

REMARKS. 

The  prosperity  of  every  colony  depends 
entirely  on  the  condition  of  the  Queen,  when 
the  season  is  favorable  to  them. 

Every  bee-master  should  understand  their 
nature  in  this  respect,  so  as  to  enable  him  to 
be  in  readiness  to  supply  them  with  another 
Queen  when  they  chance  to  become  destitute. 

The  discovery  of  the  fact,  that  bees  have 
the  power  to  change  the  nature  of  a  grub 
(larva)  of  a  worker  to  that  of  a  Queen,  is  at- 


34  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

tributed  to  Bonner.  But  Bonner,  nor  the  in- 
defatigable Huber,  nor  any  other  writer,  to 
my  knowledge,  has  gone  so  far  in  the  illustra- 
tion of  this  discovery  as  to  render  it  practica- 
ble and  easy  for  common  people  to  avail 
themselves  of  its  benefits. 

The  Vermont  hive  is  the  only  one,  to  my 
knowledge,  in  which  bees  can  be  compelled 
to  make  and  keep  extra  Queens  for  the  use 
of  their  owner,  without  extreme  difficulty,  as 
well  as  danger,  by  stings,  in  attempting  the 
experiment. 

The  idea  of  raising  her  royal  highness,  and 
elevating  and  establishing  her  upon  the  throne 
of  a  colony,  may,  by  some,  be  deemed  alto- 
gether visionary  and  futile  ;  but  I  will  assure 
the  reader,  that  it  is  easier  done  than  can  be 
described.  I  have  both  raised  them,  and  sup- 
plied destitute  swarms  repeatedly. 

When  the  drawer  containing  bees  and  brood 
comb,  is  removed,  the  bees  soon  find  them- 
selves destitute  of  a  female,  and  immediately 
set  themselves  to  work  in  constructing  one  or 
more  royal  cells.     Wlien  completed,  which  b 


MANAGING  BEES.  35 

commonly  within  forty-eight  hours,  they  re- 
move a  grub  (larva)  from  the  worker's  cell^ 
place  the  same  in  the  new  made  Queen's  cell,, 
feed  on  that  kind  of  food  which  is  designed 
only  for  Queens,  and  in  from  twelve  to  six- 
teen days  they  have  a  perfect  Queen. 

As  soon  as  the  bees  have  safely  deposited 
the  grub  in  the  new  made  royal  cell,  the  bees 
may  have  their  liberty.  Their  attachment 
to  their  young  brood,  and  their  fidelity  to  their 
Queen,  in  any  stage  of  its  minority,  is  such, 
that  they  will  never  leave  nor  forsake  then], 
and  will  continue  all  their  ordinary  labors, 
with  as  much  regularity  as  if  they  had  a  per- 
fect Queen. 

In  making  Queens  in  small  boxes  or  draw- 
ers, the  owner  will  not  be  troubled  by  their 
swarming  the  same  season  they  are  made. 
There  are  so  few  bees  in  the  drawer,  they  are 
unable  to  guard  the  nymph  Queens,  if  there 
are  any,  from  being  destroyed  by  the  oldest, 
or  the  one  which  escapes  from  her  cell  first. 

In  examining  the  drawer,  in  which  I  raised 
an  extra  Queen,  1  found  not  only  the  Queen, 


36  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

but  two  royal  cells,  one  of  which  was  in  per- 
fect shape ;  the  other  was  mutilated,  proba- 
bly by  the  Queen  which  came  out  first.  Now 
when  there  are  so  few  bees  to  guard  the 
nymphs,  it  would  not  be  very  difficult  for  the 
oldest  Queen  to  gain  access  to  the  cells,  and 
destroy  all  the  minor  Queens  in  the  drawer. 

When  a  drawer  is  removed  to  an  empty 
hive,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  an  extra 
Queen,  it  should  be  placed  some  distance 
from  the  apiary,  the  better  to  prevent  its  being 
robbed  by  other  swarms.  When  it  is  some 
distance  from  other  colonies,  they  are  not  so 
likely  to  learn  its  comparative  strength .  There 
is  but  little  danger  however,  of  its  being  rob- 
bed, until  after  the  bees  are  out  of  danger  of 
losing  their  Queen,  which  generally  occurs  in 
the  swarming  season. 

The  Queen  is  sometimes  lost,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  young  brood  being  too  far  ad- 
vanced at  the  time  of  the  departure  of  the  old 
Queen  with  her  swarm.  If  the  grubs  had  ad- 
vanced very  near  the  dormant  or  chrysalis 
state,  before  the  bees  leanit  their  necessity  for 


MANAGING  BEES.  37 

a  Queen,  and  the  old  Queen  neglected  to 
leave  eggs,  which  is  sonaetinaes  the  case  ;  then 
it  would  be  impossible  for  the  bees  to  change 
their  nature,  and  the  colony  would  be  lost, 
unless  supplied  with  another. 


RULE    VIII. 

ON    SLPPLYING    SWARMS,    DESTITUTE   OF    A 
aUEEN,  WITH  ANOTHER. 

Take  the  drawer  from  the  hive,  which  was 
placed  there  according  to  Rule  7,  and  insert 
the  same  into  the  chamber  of  the  hive  to  be 
supplied  :  observing  Rule  6  in  the  use  of  the 
slides. 

REMARKS. 

Colonies  destitute  of  a  Queen  may  be  sup- 
plied with  another  the  moment  it  is  found  they 
have  none  :  which  is  known  only  by  their  ar- 

liODS. 

Bees,  when  deprived  of  their  female  sove- 
reign, cease  their  labors ;    no  polen  or  bee- 
bread  is  seen  on  their  legs  ;  no  ambition  seems 
4 


38  AN  EASi'  METHOD   OF 

to  actuate  their  movements  ;  no  dead  bees  are 
drawn  out ;  no  deformed  bees,  in  the  various 
stages  of  their  minority,  are  extracted ^  and 
dragged  out  of  their  cells,  and  dropped  down 
about  the  hive,  as  is  usual  among  all  healthy 
and  prosperous  colonies. 

Colonies  that  have  lost  their  Queen,  when 
standing  on  the  bench  beside  of  other  swarms, 
will  run  into  the  adjoining  hive  without  the 
least  resistance.  They  will  commence  their 
emigration  by  running  in  confused  platoons 
of  hundreds,  from  their  habitation  to  the  next 
adjoining  hive.  They  immediately  wheel 
about  and  run  home  again,  and  thus  continue, 
sometimes  for  several  days,  in  the  greatest 
confusion,  constantly  replenishing  their  neigh- 
bor's hive,  by  enlarging  her  colony,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  reducing  their  ow^n,  until  there 
is  not  a  single  occupant  left ;  and  remarkable 
as  it  is,  they  leave  every  particle  of  their 
stores  for  their  owner  or  the  depredations  of 
the  moth. 

'Colonies  loose  their  Queens  more  frequent- 
ly during  the  swarming  season  than  any  other. 


MANAGING  BEES.  39 

In  the  summer  of  1830.  I  lost  three  good 
stocks  of  bees  in  consequence  of  their  losing 
their  Queens,  one  of  which  was  lost  soon  after 
the  first  swarming,  the  two  others  not  many 
days  after  the  second  swarming,  all  of  which 
manifested  similar  actions,  and  ended  in  the 
same  results,  which  will  be  more  particularly 
explained  in  remarks  on  Rule  10. 

The  Queen  is  sometimes  lost,  when  she 
goes  forth  with  a  swarm,  in  consequence  of 
being  too  feeble  to  fly  with  her  young  colony  ; 
in  which  case  the  bees  return  to  their  parent 
stock,  in  a  few  minutes.  In  fact  all  occurren- 
ces of  this  kind  originate  in  the  inability  of 
the  Queen.  If  she  returns  to  the  old  stock, 
the  swarm  will  come  out  again  the  next  day, 
if  the  weather  is  favorable.  If  the  Queen  is 
too  feeble  to  return,  and  the  Apiarian  neglects 
to  look  her  up,  and  restore  her  to  her  colony 
again,  (which  it  is  his  imperative  duty  to  do,) 
the  bees  will  not  swarm  again  until  they  have 
made  another,  or  are  supplied,  which  may  be 
done  immediately  by  giving  them  any  spare 
4* 


40  AN   EASY  METHOD    OF 

Queen.     I  have  done  it  with  entire  success, 
and  never  failed  in  the  experiment. 

The  Queen,  when  lost  in  swarming,  is  easily 
found,  unless  the  wind  is  so  strong  as  to  have 
blown  her  a  considerable  distance.  A  few 
bees  are  always  found  with  her,  which  prob- 
ably serve  as  her  aids,  and  greatly  assist  the 
Apiarian  in  spying  her  out.  She  is  frequently 
found  near  the  ground,  on  a  spire  of  grass,  the 
fence,  or  any  place  most  convenient  for  her 
to  alight,  when  her  strength  fails  her.  I  once 
had  quite  a  search  for  her  majesty,  with- 
out much  apparent  success.  At  the  same 
time,  there  were  flying  about  me  a  dozen  or 
more  common  workers.  At  last  her  royal 
highness  was  discovered,  concealed  from  my 
observation  in  a  fold  of  my  shirt  sleeve.  I 
then  returned  her  to  her  colony,  which  had 
already  found  their  way  home  to  the  parent, 
stock. 

The  Queen  may  be  taken  in  the  hand 
without  danger,  for  she  never  stings  by  design, 
except  when  conflicting  with  another  Queen ; 


MANAGING  BEES.  41 

and  yet  she  has  a  stinger  at  least  one  third 
longer,  but  more  feeble  than  a  worker. 

The  Queen  is  known  by  her  peculiar  shape, 
size,  and  movements.  She  differs  but  little 
in  color  from  a  worker,  and  has  the  same  num- 
ber of  leos  and  wino^s.  She  is  much  lonjier 
than  any  of  the  bees.  Her  abdomen  is  very 
large  and  perfectly  round,  and  has  an  addi- 
tional number  of  folds,  which  makes  her  known 
to  the  observer  the  moment  she  is  seen.  The 
wings  and  proboscis  are  short.  Her  move- 
ments are  stately  and  majestic.  She  is  much 
less  in  size,  after  the  season  for  breeding  is 
over.  She  is  easily  selected  from  among  a 
swarm,  at  any  season  of  the  year,  by  any  one 
who  has  often  seen  her. 


RULE    IX. 

ON  MULTIPLYING  COLONIES   TO  ANY  DKSIR- 

ABLE  EXTENT,  WITHOUT  THEIR 

SWARMING. 

The  large  drawer,  No.  1,  should  always  be. 
used   for  this   purpose.     Insert  slides,  as  in 


42  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

Rule  6,  and  remove  the  drawer  containing 
bees  and  brood  comb ;  place  the  same  in  the 
chamber  of  an  empty  hive  ;  stop  the  entran- 
ces of  both  the  new  and  old  hiveSj  taking  care 
to  give  them  air,  as  in  Rule  4.  Give  clean 
water  daily,  three  or  four  days.  Now  let  the 
bees,  in  both  hives,  have  their  liberty. 

REMARKS. 

This  operation  is  both  practicable  and  easy, 
and  is  of  prime  importance  to  all  cultivators, 
who  wish  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  hiving 
them  when  they  swarm  ;  and  yet  it  will  not 
prevent  swarming,  except  in  that  part  of  the 
divided  colony  which  contains  the  Queen 
at  the  time  of  their  separation.  The  other 
part  being  compelled  to  make  another  Queen, 
(and  they  generally  make  two  more)  will  be 
likely  to  swarm  to  avoid  their  battle,  as  ex- 
plained in  Remarks  on  Rule  2.  The  hive 
containing  the  old  Queen  may  swarm  for  want 
of  room;  but,  at  any  rate,  in  performing  the 
operation,  it  has  saved  the  trouble  of  hiving 
one  swarm,  and  prevented  all  danger  of  their 
flight  to  the  woods. 

Multiplying  colonies  by  this  rule  is  a  per- 


'^  MANAGING  BEES.  43 

fectly  safe  method  of  managing  them,  admit- 
tnif^  they  are  not  allowed  to  swarm  themselves 
so  low  as  to  leave  unoccupied  combs,  which 
will  be  explained  in  Remarks  on  Rule  10. 


RULE    X. 

ON  PREVENTING  THE  DEPREDATIONS  OF 
THE  MOTH. 

All  such  stocks  as  are  infested  with^he 
moth,  will  manifest  it  as  soon  as  warm  weath- 
er commences  in  the  spring  by  dropping  some 
of  the  worms  upon  the  bottom  board.  Let 
the  Apiarian  clean  ofFllie  bottom  board  every 
other  morning ;  at  the  same  time  strew  on  a 
spoonful  or  two  cf  fresh,  pulverized  salt. 

Immediately  after  a  second  swarm  has  come 
forth  from  a  hive,  the  same  season,  the  old 
stock  should  be  examined  ;  and  if  swarming 
has  reduced  their  numbers  so  low  as  to  leave 
unoccupied  combs,  the  Apiarian  should  take 
the  Queen  from  the  swarm,  and  let  them  re- 
turn to  the  old  stock.  '  In  case  they  remain 
in  a  cluster,  hive  them  in  a  drawer,  and  return 
them  immediately. 


44  AN  EASV  METHOD   OF 

Third  and  fourth  swarms  should  always 
have  their  Queens  taken  from  them  and  the 
bees  returned  to  the  parent  stock. 

R  E  M  ARKS. 

•■  This  insect  is  a  native  of  Europe  ;  but  has 
found  its  way  into  this  country,  and  naturali- 
zed itself  here."— Thatcher. 

This  unwelcome  visitor  has  interested  the 
attention  and  called  forth  ail  the  energies  of 
the  most  experienced  Apiarians  of  our  "country, 
and  of  many  of  the  greatest  naturalists  in  the 
world.  Tiieir  movements  have  been  observ- 
ed and  scrutinized  by  the  most  learned,  their 
nature  lias  been  studied,  various  experiments 
have  been  tried  to  j)revent  their  depredations  ; 
but  after  all  the  monsHerin  gaudy  hue  marches 
onward,  committing  the  greatest  havoc  and 
devastation,  with  but  little  molestation. 

I  have  lost  my  whole  stock  at  least  four 
times  since  1808,  as  I  supposed  by  the  moth. 
]  tried  all  the  experiments  recommended  in 
this  and  other  countries,  that  came  to  my 
knowledge  ;  but,  after  all,  I  could  not  pre- 
vent their  ravages. 


/*v 


MAI«fAGING  BEES.  45 


In  1830,  I  constructed  a  hive  (which  has 
since  been  patented)  which  I  supposed  would 
afford  all  the  facilities  for  managing  bees  in 
every  manner  that  their  nature  would  admit 
of,  and  at  the  same  time  render  their  cultiva- 
tion most  profitable  to  their  owner.  By  con- 
structing windows  of  glass,  on  every  side  ot 
the  liive,  nearly  the  size  of  its  sides,  and  dark- 
enini{  them  bv  closing  doors  on  the  outside  ol 
the  windows,  which  may  be  opened  at  pleas- 
ure, I  have  been  able  to  discover  many  im.- 
jjortaut  facts,  both  in  relation  to  the  nature 
and  economy  of  the  bee,  and  its  enemy  the 
moth  ;  but,  probably,  much  yet  remains  to  be 
learned  concerning  both. 

The  moth,  when  first  discovered  by  the 
common  observer,  is  a  w^hite  worm  or  maggot, 
with  a  reddish  crusted  head,  and  \aries  in 
size  according  to  its  living.  Those  which 
have  full  and  unmolested  access  to  the  con- 
tents of  a  hive,  will  frequently  grow  as  large 
as  a  turkey  quill,  and  an  inclj  and  a  half  in 
length.  Others  are  scarcely  an  inch  in  length 
when  full  grown..    They  have  sixteen  short 


46  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

legs,  and  taper  each  way  from  the  centre  of 
their  bodies  to  their  head  and  exterior  or 
abdomen. 

The  worms,  hke  the  silk  worm,  wind  them- 
selves into  a  cocoon,  and  pass  the  dormant 
(chrysalis)  state  of  their  existence,  and  in  a 
few  days  come  out  of  their  silken  cases  per- 
fect winged  insects  or  millers,  and  are  soon 
ready  to  deposit  their  eggs,  from  which  anoth- 
er crop  will  be  raised. 

The  miller,  or  perfect  moth,  is  of  a  greyish 
color,  from  three  fourths  of  an  inch  to  an  inch 
in  length.  They  usually  lie  perfectly  still  in 
the  day  time,  with  their  head  downwards, 
lurking  in  and  about  the  apiary.  They  enter 
the  hive  in  the  night,  and  deposite  their  eggs 
in  such  places  as  are  uncovered,  of  course  un- 
guarded, by  the  bees.  These  eggs  hatch  in 
a  short  time,  varying  according  to  circumstan- 
ces, probably  from  two  or  three  days  to  four 
or  five  months.  At  an  early  stage  of  their 
existence,  while  yet  a  small  worm,  they  spin 
a  web,  and  construct  a  silken  shroud,  or  for- 
sress,  in  which  they  envelope  themselves,  and 


MANAGING   BEES.  47 

form  a  sort  of  path,  or  gallery,  as  they  pass 
onward  in  their  march  ;  at  the  same  time 
being  perfectly  secure  from  the  bees,  in  their 
silken  case,  which  they  widen  as  they  grow^ 
larger;  with  an  opening  in  their  front  only, 
near  their  head ;  they  commit  the  great- 
est havoc  and  devastation  on  the  eggs,  young 
bees  and  all,  that  come  in  their  way  as  they 
pass. 

When  the  moth  has  arrived  to  his  full  state 
of  maturity,  he  makes  preparation  to  change 
to  a  miller,  by  winding  into  a  cocoon,  as  has 
been  already  explained.  The  miller  is  sur- 
prisingly quick  in  all  its  movements,  exceed- 
ing by  far  the  agility  of  the  quickest  bee,  ei- 
ther in  flight  or  on  its  legs.  Hence  the 
enemy  becomes  so  formidable  that  the  bees 
are  easily  overcome  and  soon  fall  a  sure  prey 
to  him. 

Now  in  order  to  remedy  the  evils  of  the 
moths,  and  prevent  their  ravages,  and  at  the 
same  time  aid  the  bees  in  their  prosperity,  and 
make  them  profitable  to  their  owner,  I  found 
it  necessary  to  use  a  hive  diftering  materially 


48  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

from  the  old  box,  and  commenced  operations 
in  the  one  already  referred  to,  (called  the 
Vermont  hive,)  in  a  course  of  experiments 
which  have  produced  results  perfectly  satis- 
factory. From  six  years  experience  in  its 
use,  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  bees  may 
be  managed  to  the  best  advantage,  and  with- 
out  ever  being  materially  injured  by  the 
moths. 

A  beehive  should'  be  made  in  a  perfect 
workmanlike  manner,  so  as  to  have  no  open 
joints ;  the  boards  should  be  free  from  shakes 
and  cracks,  because  the  bees  will  make  their 
tenement  perfectly  tight,  so  as  to  exclude 
light  and  air,  by  plastering  up  all  such  places 
as  are  left  open  by  the  workman,  with  a  kind 
of  mortar,  or  glue,  of  their  own  make,  which 
is  neither  honey  nor  wax,  but  is  very  congen- 
ial to  the  growth  of  the  worms  in  the  first  sta- 
ges of  their  larva  state,  and  being  secured  from 
the  bees  by  the  timber,  in  a  short  time  they 
are  able  to  defend  themselves  by  a  silken 
shroud. 

Now  the  miller  enters  the  hive  and  makes 


MANAGING  BEES.  49 

an  incision  into  the  bee-glue,  or  cement,  with 
her  abdominal  sling,  and  leaves  her  eggs. 
These  eggs  hatch  there,  and  the  brood  subsist 
on  the  glue  until  they  have  arrived  so  far  to- 
ward maturity  as  to  enable  them  to  encase 
themselves  in  a  silken  shroud  ;  and  then  they 
move  onward. 

Now  unless  the  bees  chance  to  catch  him 
by  the  collar,  or  nape  of  his  neck,  while  feed- 
ing, and  drag  him  out  of  his  place  of  conceal- 
ment, they  will  be  compelled  to  cut  away 
the  combs  all  around  his  silken  path,  or  gal-* 
lery,  and  drag  out  the  worm  and  his  fortress 
all  together.  At  the  same  time,  the  bees  are 
compelled  to  cut  away  the  combs  so  far  as  to 
destroy  many  of  their  young  brood  in  making 
room  to  remove  the  annoyance.  I  have 
known  them  to  cut  away  their  combs  from 
four  to  eight  or  ten  inches  to  remove  this 
silken  shroud,  and  have  known  them  to  cut 
and  drag  out  their  only  remaining  Queen  be- 
fore she  was  transformed  to  the  perfect  fly, 
which  occasioned  the  entire  loss  of  the  whole 
colony. 


50  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

Repeated  experiments  have  demonstrated 
the  fact,  that  placing  bees  on  the  ground,  or 
high  in  the  air,  is  no  security  against  the  moths. 
.  1  have  lost  some  of  my  best  stocks  by  placing 
them  on  the  ground,  when  those  on  the  bench 
were  not  injured  by  them.  1  have  made  a 
groove  in  the  bottom  board,  much  wider  than 
the  thickness  of  the  boards  to  the  hive,  and  fill- 
ed the  same  with  loam,  I  then  placed  the  hive 
on  the  same,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent 
any  crack  or  vacancy  for  the  worms  ;  and  yet, 
^  in  raising  the  hive  four  weeks  afterwards,  1 
found  them  apparently  full  grown  all  around 
the  hive  in  the  dirt.  I  have  found  them  very 
plenty  in  a  tree  ninety  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  best  method,  in  common  practice,  to 
prevent  the  depredations  of  the  moth,  is,  to 
suspend  the  bottom  board  so  far  below  the 
lower  edge  of  the  hive  as  to  give  the  bees 
free  entrance  and  egress  all  around  the  same 
during  the  moth  season,  or  to  raise  the  hive, 
by  placing  under  it  little  blocks  at  each  cor- 
ner, v/hich  produces  nearly  the  same  effect. 
But  I  know  of  but  one  rule,  which  is  an  infal- 


MANAGING  BEES.  51 

lable  one,  to  prevent  their  depredations,  and 
that  is  this  :  keep  the  combs  well  guarded  by 
bees.     See  Rule  10. 

Large  hives,  that  never  swarm,  are  never 
destroyed  by  the  moth,  unless  they  lose  their 
Queen,  melt  down,  or  meet  with  some  casu- 
alty, out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  managing 
them.  They  are  not  often  in  the  least  annoy- 
ed by  them,  unless  there  are  bad  joints,  cracks, 
or  shakes,  so  as  to  afford  some  lurking  places 
for  the  worms.  The  reason  for  their  prosper- 
ous condition  is  obvious.  The  stock  of  bees 
are  so  numerous  that  their  combs  are  all  kept 
well  guarded  during  the  moth  season,  so  that 
no  miller  can  enter  and  deposit  her  eggs. 

Hives  made  so  small  as  to  swarm,  are  lia- 
ble to  reduce  their  colonies  so  small  as  to  leave 
combs  unguarded,  especially  when  they  swarm 
three  or  four  times  the  same  season.  All 
swarms,  after  the  first,  sally  forth  to  avoid 
the  battle  of  the  Queens ;  constantly  making 
a  greater  draft,  in  proportion  to  the  number 
left,  until  the  combs  are  partly  exposed,  which 
gives  the  miller  free  access  to  their  edees. — 


52  Ax\  EASY  METHOD  OF 

The  seeds  of  rapine  and  plunder  are  thus 
quickly  sown,  and  soon  vegetate,  and  fortify 
themselves  by  their  silken  fortress,  before  the 
bees  are  aware  that  their  frontiers  are  invaded. 
While  the  moths  are  thus  engaged  in  estab- 
lishing their  posts  on  the  frontiers  of  the  bees, 
the  latter  are  constantly  and  indefatigably  en- 
gaged in  providing  themselves  with  another 
Queen,  to  supply  the  place  of  the  old  one, 
which  has  departed  with  a  swarm,  and  rais- 
ing young  bees  to  replenish  their  reduced  col- 
ony. Now  as  the  moths  have  got  possession 
of  the  ground  on  their  frontiers,  it  requires  a 
tremendous  effort  on  the  part  of  the  bees  to 
save  their  little  colony  from  a  complete  over- 
throw. 

If  late,  or  second  and  third  swarms,  are  al- 
ways returned  immediately  according  to  the 
rule,  the  combs  are  kept  so  guarded  that  the 
moths  are  compelled  to  keep  their  distance, 
or  be  stung  to  death  before  they  can  accom- 
plish their  purposes. 

Hives  made  so  large  as  not  to  swarm  may 
loose  their  Queen,  and  then  they  will  aban- 


MANAGING  BEES.  53 

don  their  habitation  and  emigrate  into  the  ad- 
joining hive,  leaving  all  their  stores  to  their 
owner,  which,  unless  Immediately  taken  care 
of,  the  moths  will  not  fail  to  destroy. 

The  moths  are  often  complained  of  when 
they  are  not  guilty.  Hives  are  frequently 
abandoned  by  their  occupants,  in  consequence 
of  the  loss  of  their  Queen,  unnoticed  by  any 
observer,  and  before  any  thing  is  known  of 
their  fate,  the  hive  is  destitute  of  bees,  and 
filled  with  moths. 

In  the  summer  of  1834,  one  of  my  neigh- 
bors had  a  very  large  hive  that  never  swarm- 
ed, which  lost  their  Queen  ;  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  days  the  bees  entirely  vacated  their 
tenement,  and  emigrated  into  an  adjoining 
hive,  leaving  the  whole  of  their  stores,  which 
amounted  to  215  lbs.  of  honey  in  the  comb. 
No  young  bees  or  moths  were  discovered  in 
the  hive.  Instances  of  this  kind  frequently 
Qccur,  and  the  true  cause  is  unknown,  from 
inattention. 

The  Queen  may  be  superanuated,  or  may 
become  diseased  in  the  breeding  season,  so  as 
5 


54  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

to  render  her  unfruitful ;  or  she  may  die  of 
old  age.  In  either  case,  the  colony  will  be 
lost,  unless  supplied  with  another  Queen* 
as  explained  in  Remarks  on  Rule  8 ;  for 
when  the  Queen  becomes  unfruitful  by  either 
of  the  foregoing  causes,  the  bees  are  not  ap- 
prized of  the  loss  which  will  in  future  be  sus- 
tained by  them,  until  after  the  means  of  re- 
pairing the  same  are  gone  beyond  their  reach. 
All  the  grubs  may  have  passed  the  various 
stages  of  their  transformation,  or  at  least  ad- 
vanced so  far  towards  the  perfect  insect,  that 
their  nature  cannot  be  changed  to  a  Queen. 

The  Queen  is  much  more  tenacious  of  life 
than  any  other  bee,  and  may  live  to  a  great 
age.  But  one  Queen  exists  in  the  same  hive 
any  great  length  of  time.  When  there  are 
more  than  one,  the  peculiar  sound  of  each,  as 
explained  in  Remarks  on  Rule  2,  is  heard  by 
the  other,  which  always  results  in  a  battle 
between  them,  or  the  issue  of  a  swarm  in  the 
course  of  a  day  or  two. 

Bees,  when  placed  in  a  dark  room  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  house,  or  some  out-ljouse, 


MANAGING  BEES.  bo 

are  easily  cultivated  a  short  lime  with  little 
trouble,  and  are  sometimes  made  profitable  to 
their. owner;  but  as  they  are  liable  to  some 
of  the  same  casualties  as  those  kept  in  swarm- 
ing hives,  they  cannot  be  as  profitable. 

Large  colonies  never  increase  their  stock 
in  proportion  to  the  swarming  colonies.  There 
is  but  one  female  in  a  large  colony,  and  they 
can  do  but  little  more  in  raising  young  bees 
than  to  keep  their  stock  good  by  replenishing 
them  as  fast  as  they  die  off  or  are  destroyed 
by  the  birds,  reptiles  and  insects,  which  are 
great  admirers  of  them  and  sometimes  swallow 
them  by  dozens.  Now  if  it  requires  five 
swarming  colonies  to  be  equal  in  number  to 
one  first  described,  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine 
that  five  times  as  many  bees  may  be  raised 
by  the  swarming  colonies ;  for  one  Queen 
will  probably  lay  as  many  eggs  as  another. 

The  swarming  hives  are  more  liable  to  be 
destroyed  by  the  moth  during  the  swanning 
season,  and  no  other,  if  the  hives  are  kept 
well  replenished  with  bees  according  to  Rule 
10. 

5* 


56  AN  EASY  METHOD   OF 


RULE   XI. 

ON  FEEDING  BEES. 

If  it  is  found  that  a  swarm  need  feeding, 
take  off  the  bottom  board,  and  hitch  on  the 
feeder,  well  stored  with  good  honey,  while  the 
weather  is  warm  in  October. 

The  Apiarian  should  use  the  same  precau- 
tion in  feeding,  as  directed  in  Rule  4,  to  pre- 
vent robberies. 

REMARKS. 

The  best  time  to  feed  is  in  the  fall,  before 
cold  weather  commences.  All  hives  should 
be  weighed,  and  the  weight  marked  on  the 
hive  before  bees  are  hived  in  them.  Then, 
by  weighing  a  stock  as  soon  as  frost  has  killed 
the  blossoms  in  the  fall,  the  Apiarian  will  be 
able  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  their  necessi- 
ties. When  bees  are  fed  in  the  fall,  they  will 
carry  up  and  deposite  their  food  in  such  a 
manner  as  will  be  convenient  for  them  in  the 
winter. 

If  feeding;  is  nes-lected  until  cold  weather, 


MANAGING  BEES.  57 

the  bees  must  be  removed  to  a  warm  room, 
or  dry  cellar,  and  then  they  will  carry  up  their 
food,  generally,  no  faster  than  they  consume 
it. 

A  feeder  should  be  made  the  same  size  of 
the  bottom  of  the  hive,  and  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  fit  with  its  floor  level,  when  hitched  on 
like  the  bottom  board.  It  should  be  of  suffi- 
cient depth  to  lay  in  broad  comb,  filled  with 
honey,  without  coming  in  contact  with  the 
combs  of  the  hive.  If  strained  honey  with- 
out combs  is  used  for  feeding,  a  float,  perfo- 
rated with  many  holes,  should  be  laid  over  the 
whole  of  the  honey  in  the  box,  or  feeder,  so 
as  to  prevent  any  of  the  bees  from  drowning ; 
and  at  the  same  time,  this  float  should  be  so 
thin  as  to  enable  them  to  reach  the  honey- 
It  should  also  be  made  so  small  that  it  will 
settle  down  as  fast  as  the  honey  is  removed 
by  the  bees.  As  soon  as  warm  weather  com- 
mences in  the  spring,  the  feeder  may  be  used, 
Small  drawers  cannot  be  depended  on  as  feed- 
ers, except  in  the  spring  and  summer,  unless 
they  are  kept  so  warm  that  the  vapor  of  the 


58  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

bees  will  not  freeze  in  them.  It  would  be 
extremely  hazardous  for  the  bees  to  enter  a 
frosty  drawer.  They  will  sooner  starve,  than 
attempt  the  experiment.  Drawers  may  be 
used  without  danger  from  robbers,  but  when 
the  feeder  is  used,  robbers  must  be  guarded 
against  as  directed  in  Rule  4. 

Care  should  be  exercised,  in  fall  feeding,  to 
supply  them  with  good  honey,  otherwise  the 
colony  may  be  lost  before  spring  by  disease. 
Poor  honey  may  be  given  them  in  the  spring, 
at  the  time  when  they  can  obtain  and  provide 
themselves  with  medicine,  which  they,  only, 
best  understand. 

Sugar  dissolved,  or  molasses,  may  be  used 
in  the  spring  to  some  advantage,  but  ought 
not  to  be  substituted  for  honey,  v^^hen  it  canbe 
obtained. 

Bees  sometimes  die  of  starvation,  with  plen- 
ty of  honey  in  the  hive  at  the  same  time.  In 
cold  weather  they  crowd  together  in  a  small 
compass  in  order  to  keep  warm ;  and  then 
their  breath  and  steam  collect  in  frost,  in 
all  parts  of  the  hive,  except  in  the  region  they 


MANAGING  BEES.  59 

occupy.  Now  unless  the  weather  moderates 
so  as  to  thaw  the  ice,  the  bees  will  be  com- 
pelled to  remain  where  they  are  located  until 
their  stores  are  all  consumed  that  are  within 
their  reach.  One  winter  we  had  cold  weather 
ninety-ibnr  days  in  succession,  during  which 
time  the  bees  could  not  move  from  one  part 
of  the  hive  to  another.  I  examined  all  my 
hives  on  the  eighty-third  day,  and  on  the 
ninetieth  day  I  found  four  swarms  dead.  I  im- 
mediately examined  for  the  cause,  which  was, 
as  already  stated.  I  then  carried  all  my  hives 
into  a  warm  room  and  thawed  them,  so  that 
the  bees  could  move.  Some  hives  that  I  sup- 
posed were  dead,  revived  ;  some  few  swarms 
I  found  nearly  destitute  of  stores,  which  I 
carried  into  the  cellar,  turned  them  bottom 
up,  cut  out  a  few  of  the  combs,  so  as  to  make 
room  to  lay  in  combs  filled  with  honey,  which 
served  as  good  feeders. 


60  IN  EASY  METHOD  OF 


RULE    XII. 

ON  WINTERING  BEES. 

On  the  near  approach  of  winter,  as  soon  as 
the  bees  have  receded  from  the  drawers  and 
gone  below,  insert  a  sHde,  take  out  the  draw- 
ers, and  supply  their  places  with  empty  ones, 
bottom  up.  Suspend  the  bottom  board  at 
least  half  an  inch  below  the  lower  edge  of  the 
hive.  Clean  off  the  bottom  board  as  often  as 
the  weather  changes  from  cold  to  warm,  giv- 
ing them  nearly  as  much  air  as  in  summer. 
Close  no  doors  upon  them,  unless  they  are 
kept  in  a  spacious  room  and  in  such  a  place 
that  the  breath  and  steam  of  the  bees  will  not 
freeze. 

R  E  M  A  :i  K  S  . 

Various  methods  have  been  practised  by 
different  individuals.  Some  have  buried  them 
in  the  ground,  others  kept  them  in  the  cellar^, 
chamber,  &c.  One  course  only  will  be  ob- 
served in  this  place. 


MANAGING  BEES.  61 


RULE    XIII. 

ON  TRANSFERRING  SWARMS. 

This  operation  should  never  be  effected  by 
compulsion. 

First  Method.  Insert  >drawer  No.  I  into 
the  chamber  of  the  hive,  to  be  transferred  as 
early  as  the  first  of  May.  If  the  bees  fill  the 
drawer,  they  will  recede  from  the  lower  apart- 
ment and  winter  in  the  drawer.  As  early  in 
the  spring  as  the  bees  carry  in  bread  plenti- 
fully on  their  legs,  remove  the  drawer,  which 
will  contain  the  principal  part  of  the  bees,  to 
an  empty  hive.  Now  remove  the  old  hive  a 
few  feet  in  front,  and  place  the  new  one,  con- 
taining the  drawer,  where  the  old  one  stood. 
Now  turn  the  old  hive  bottom  up.  if  there 
are  any  bees  left  in  the  old  hive,  they  will  soon 
return  and  take  possession  of  their  new  habi- 
tation. 

Second  Method.  Take  drawer  No.  1, 
well  filled  by  any  hive  the  same  season,  insert 
the  same  into  the  chamber  of  the  hive,  to  be 
transferred  in  September,  (August  would  be 
better.)  If  the  bees* need  transferring,  they 
will  repair  to  t«he  drawer  and  make  the  sara^ 


62  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

their  winter  quarters.     Then  proceed  in  the 
spring  as  directed  in  the  first  method. 

REMARKS. 

This  management  should  excite  a  deep  in- 
terest in  every  cultivator,  both  in  a  temporal  and 
moral  point  of  view.  Temporal,  because  the 
lives  of  all  the  bees  are  preserved  ;  moral,  be- 
cause we  are  accountable  to  God  for  all  our 
acts.  We  are  not  to  be  justified  in  taking  the 
lives  of  animals  or  insects,  which  are  but  lent 
blessings,  unless  some  benefit  to  the  owner 
can  be  derived  from  their  death,  which  will 
outweigh  the  evils  resulting  from  such  a  sacri- 
fice. Duty  compels  me  to  protest,  in  the 
strongest  terms  and  feelings,  against  the  inhu- 
man practice  of  taking  the  lives  of  the  most 
mdustrous  and  comforting  insects  to  the 
wants  of  the  human  family  by  fire  and  brim- 
stone. , 

When  bees  have  occupied  one  tenement 
for  several  years,  the  combs  become  thick  and 
filthy,  by  being  filled  up  with  old  bread  and 
cocoons,  made  by  the  young  bees  when  trans- 
formed from  a  larva  to  the  perfect  fly. 


MANAGING  BEES.  63 

Bees  always  wind  themselves  in  their  cells, 
in  a  silken  cocoon,  or  shroud,  to  pass  their 
torpid  and  defenceless  (chrysalis)  state.  These 
cocoons  are  very  thin,  and  are  never  removed 
by  the  bees.  They  are  always  cleaned  im- 
mediately after  the  escape  of  the  young  bees, 
and  others  are  raised  in  the  same  cells.  Thus 
a  number  of  bees  are  raised,  which  leaves  an 
additional  cocoon  as  often  as  the  transforma- 
tion of  one  succeeds  that  of  another,  which 
often  occurs  in  the  course  of  the  season.  Now 
in  the  course  of  a  few  years  the  cells  become 
so  contracted,  in  consequence  of  being  thus 
filled  up,  that  the  bees  come  forth  but  mere 
dwarfs  and  sometimes  cease  to  swarm.  Combs 
are  rendered  useless  by  being  filled  up  with  old. 
bread,  which  is  never  used  except  for  feeding 
young  bees.  A  greater  quantity  of  this  bread 
is  stored  up  yearly  than  is  used  by  them,  and 
in  a  few  years  they  have  but  little  room  to 
perform  their  ordinary  labors.  Hence  the 
necessity  of  transferring  them,  or  the  inhuman 
sentence  of  death  must  be  passed  upon  them, 
not  by  being  hung  by  the  neck  until  they  are 


^i  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

dead,  but  by  being  tortured   to  death   by  fire 
and  brimstone. 

It  is  obvious  to  every  cultivator  that  old 
stocks  should  be  transferred.  I  have  repeat- 
edly transferred  them  in  the  most  approved 
manner,  by  means  of  an  apparatus  constructed 
for  that  purpose  ;  but  the  operation  always 
resulted  in  the  loss  of  the  colony  afterwards, 
or  a  swarm  which  would  have  come  from 
them. 

When  it  is  necessary  to  transfer  a  swarm, 
insert  drawer  No.  1  into  their  chamber  in  the 
spring,  say  the  first  of  May.  If  they  fill  the 
drawer,  let  it  remain  there  ;  if  they  need  to 
be  changed  to  a  new  hive,  they  will  recede 
from  the  lower  apartment  and  make  the  draw- 
er their  winter  quarters,  which  should  remain 
until  warm  weather  has  so  far  advanced  as  to 
afford  them  bread.  Then  they  may  be  re- 
moved to  an  empty  hive,  as  directed  in  the 
Rule.  Now  the  drawer  contains  no  bread, 
and  should  remain  in  the  old  stock  until  the 
bees  can  provide  themsevles  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  that  article  to  feed  their  young 


MANAGING  BEES.  65 

bees  with  ;  for  bread  is  not  collected  early 
enough  and  in  sufficient  quantities  to  feed 
their  young  as  much  as  nature  requires.  If 
the  bees  fail  in  filling  the  drawer,  one  should 
be  used  that  is  filled  by  another  swarm. 


GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS. 

The  reader  might  have  expected  many 
things  demonstrated  in  this  work,  which  are 
omitted  by  design. 

The  structure  of  the  worker  is  too  well 
understood  by  every  owner  of  bees  to  need  a 
particular  description.  So  also  of  the  drone  ; 
and  the  Queen  has  already  been  sufficiently 
described  to  enable  any  one  to  select  her  out 
from  among  her  subjects.  If  any  further  de- 
scription is  desired,  the  observer  can  easily 
satisfy  himself  by  the  use  of  a  microscope. 
Every  swarm  of  bees  is  composed  of  three 
classes  or  sorts,  to  wit :  one  Queen  or  female, 
drones  or  males,  and  neuters  or  workers.   The 


66  AN  EASY  METHOD   OF 

Queeu  is  the  only  female  in  the  hive,  and  lays 
all  the  eggs  from  which  all  the  young  bees 
are  raised  to  replenish  their  colony.  She  pos- 
sesses no  authority  over  them,  other  than  that 
of  influence,  which  is  derived  from  the  fact, 
that  she  is  the  mother  of  all  the  bees ;  and 
they,  being  endowed  with  knowledge  of  the 
fact  that  they  are  wholly  dependent  on  her  to 
propagate  their  species,  treat  her  with  the 
greatest  kindness,  tenderness  and  reverence, 
and  manifest  at  all  times  the  most  sincere  at- 
tachment to  her  by  feeding  and  guarding  her 
ifom  all  danger. 

The  government  of  a  hive  is  nearer  lepub- 
lican  than  any  other,  because  it  is  administer- 
ed in  exact  accordance  with  their  nature.  It 
is  their  peculiar  natural  instinct,  which  prompts 
them  in  all  their  actions.  The  Queen  has  no 
more  to  do  with  the  government  of  the  hive 
than  the  other  bees,  unless  influence  may  be 
called  government.  If  she  finds  empty  cells 
in  the  hive,  during  the  breeding  season,  she 
will  deposit  eggs  there,  because  it  is  her  na- 
ture to  do  so:  and  the  nature  of  the  workers 


MANAGING  BEES.  67 

prompts  them  to  take  care  and  nurse  all  the 
young  larvce^  labor  and  collect  food  for  their 
sustenance,  guard  and  protect  their  habitations 
and  do  and  perform  all  things,  in  due  obedi- 
ence, not  to  the  commands  of  the  Queen,  but 
to  their  own  peculiar  instinct. 

The  drone  is  probably  the  male  bee,  not- 
withstanding the  sexual  union  has  never  been 
witnessed  by  any  man  ;  yet  so  many  experi- 
ments have  been  tried,  and  observations  made, 
that  but  little  doubt  can  be  entertained  of  its 
truth.  That  the  sexual  intercourse  takes 
place  high  in  the  air,  is  highly  probable  from 
the  fact,  that  other  insects  of  the  fiy  tribe  do 
copulate  in  the  air,  when  on  the  wing,  as  1 
have  repeatedly  seen.  The  doctrine  that  the 
drone  is  the  male  bee,  is  probable  from  the 
fact  that  they  are  not  all  killed  at  once  ;  but 
that  at  least  one  in  each  hive  is  permitted  to 
live  several  months  after  the  general  massa- 
cre. 

I  examined  four  swarms,  whose  colonies 
were  strong  and  numerous,  three  months  after 
the   general  massacre  of  the   drones,    and  iii 


68  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

three  hives  I  found  one  drone  each  ;  the  other 
was  probably  overlooked,  as  the  bees  were 
thrown  into  the  fire  as  fast  as  they  were  exam- 
ined. But  there  are  many  mysterious  things 
concerning  them,  and  much  might  be  written 
to  little  purpose  ;  and  as  it  is  designed  to  go 
mo  further  in  illustrations  than  is  necessary  to 
aid  the  Apiarian  in  good  management,  many 
little  speculations  have  been  entirely  omitted 
m  the  work,  and  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
writings  of  Thatcher,  Bonner,  and  Huber, 
who  are  the  most  voluminous  and  extensive 
writers  on  bees  within  my  knowledge. 

Bees  are  creatures  of  habit,  and  the  exer- . 
cise  of  caution  in  managing  them  is  required. 
A  stock  of  bees  should  be  placed  where  they 
are  to  stand  through  the  season  before  they 
form  habits  of  location,  which  will  take  place 
soon  after  they  commence  their  labors  in  the 
spring.  They  learn  their  home  by  the  objects 
surrounding  them  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  hive.  Moving  them,  (unless  they  are  car- 
ried beyond  their  knowledge,)  is  often  fatal  to 
them.     The  old  bees  forget  their  new  loca- 


MANAGING  BEES.  69 

tion,  and  on  their  return,  when  collecting 
stores,  they  haze  about  where  they  formerly 
stood,  and  perish.  I  have  known  some  fine 
stocks  ruined  by  moving  them  six  feet  and  from 
that  to  a  mile  and  a  half.  It  is  better  to  move 
them  before  swarming  than  afterwards.  The 
old  bees  only  will  be  lost.  As  the  young  ones 
are  constantly  hatching,  their  habits  will  be 
formed  at  the  new  stand,  and  the  combs  will 
not  be  as  likely  to  become  vacated,  so  as  to 
afford  opportunity  to  the  moths  to  occupy  any 
part  of  their  ground. 

Swarms,  when  first  hived,  may  be  moved  at 
pleasure  without  loss  of  bees,  admitting  they 
are  all  in  the  hive  ;  their  habits  will  be  formed 
in  exact  proportion  to  their  labors.  The  first 
bee  that  empties  his  sack  and  goes  forth  in 
search  of  food,  is  the  one  whose  habits  are 
first  established.  I  have  observed  many  bees 
to  cluster  near  the  place  where  the  hive  stood, 
but  a  few  hours  after  hiving,  and  perish.  Now 
if  the  swarm  had  been  placed  in  the  apiary, 
immediately  after  they  were  hived,  the  num- 
ber of  bees  found  there  would  have  been  less. 
6 


70  AN  EASY  METHOD  OF 

Bees  may  be  moved  at  pleasure  ai  any 
season  of  the  year,  if  they  are  carried  several 
miles,  so  as  to  be  beyond  their  knowledge  of 
country.  They  may  be  carried  long  journeys 
by  traveling  nights,  only,  and  affording  them 
opportunity  to  labor  and  collect  food  in  the 
day  time. 

The  importance  of  this  pare  of  bee-man- 
agement is  the  only  apology  I  can  make  for 
dwelling  so  long  on  this  point.  I  have  known 
men  of  high  attainments  in  literary  knowledge, 
as  well  as  others,  to  suffer  serious  losses,  in 
consequence  of  moving  their  bees  after  they 
were  well  settled  in  their  labors. 

Bees  should  never  be  irritated,  under  any 
pretence  whatever.  They  should  be  treated 
with  attention  and  kindness.  They  should  be 
kept  undisturbed  by  cattle  and  all  other  an- 
noyances, so  that  they  may  be  approached  at 
any  time  with  safety. 

An  apiary  should  be  so  situated,  that  swarm- 
ing may  be  observed,  and  at  the  same  time 
where  the  bees  can  obtain  food  easily,  and  in 
the  greatest  abundance. 


MANAGING  BEES.  71 

It  has  been  a  general  practice  to  front  bee- 
houses  either  to  the  east,  or  south.  This  doc- 
trine should  be  exploded  with  all  other  whims. 
Apiaries  should  be  so  situated  as  to  be  con- 
venient to  their  owner,  as  much  as  any  other 
buildings. 

I  have  them  front  towards  all  the  cardinal 
points,  but  can  distinguish  no  difference  in 
their  prosperity. 

Young  swarms  should  be  scattered  as  much 
as  convenient  during  the  summer  season,  at 
'east  eight  feet  apart.  They  should  be  set 
in  a  frame  and  so  covered  as  to  exclude  the 
sun  and  weather  from  the  hive. 

It  is  not  surprising,  that  this  branch  of  rural 
economy  in  horticulture,  in  consequence  of 
the  depredations  of  the  moth,  is  so  much  neg- 
lected. Notwithstanding,  in  some  parts  of 
our  country,  the  business  of  managing  bees 
has  been  entirely  abandoned  for  years,  I  am 
confident  they  may  be  cultivated  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  render  them  more  profitable  to 
their  owners,  than  any  branch  of  agriculture, 
in   proportion  to  the  capital  necessary  to  be 


72  AN   EASY  METHOD  OF 

invested  in  their  stock.  They  are  not  taxa- 
ble property,  neither  does  it  require  a  large 
land  investment,  nor  fences,  neither  does  it 
require  the  owner  to  labor  through  the  sum- 
mer to  support  them  through  the  winter. 
Care  is,  indeed,  necessary,  but  a  child,  or  a 
superanuated  person  can  perform  most  of  the 
duties  of  an  Apiarian.  The  cobwebs  must  be 
kept  away  from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
hive,  and  all  other  annoyances  removed. 

The  management  of  bees  is  a  delightful 
employment,  and  may  be  pursued  with  the 
finest  success  in  cities  and  villages,  as  well  as 
towns  and  country.  It  is  a  source  of  great 
amusement,  as  well  as  comfort  and  profit. 
They  collect  honey  and  bread  from  most 
kinds  of  forest  trees,  as  well  as  garden  flow- 
ers, orchards,  forests,  and  fields  ;  all  contri- 
bute to  their  wants,  and  their  owner  is  grati- 
fied with  a  taste  of  the  whole.  Sweet  mignon- 
ett  cannot  be  too  highly  recommended.  This 
plant  is  easily  cultivated  by  drills  in  the  garden, 
and  is  one  of  the  finest  and  richest  flowers  in  the 


MANAGING  BEES.  73 

world  from  which  the  honey-bee  can  extract 
its  food. 

The  Vernnont  hive  is  the  only  one  I  can 
nse  to  much  advantage  or  profit,  and  yet 
there  are  many  improvements,  which  are  far 
superior  to  the  old  box.  In  the  summer  of 
18.34,  I  received  in  swarms  and  extra  honey 
from  my  best  stock  thirty  dollars,  and  from  my 
poorest,  fifteen  dollars.  My  early  swarms 
afforded  extra  honey  which  was  sold,  amount- 
ing to  from  five  to  ten  dollars  each  hive  ;  and 
all  my  late  swarms  which  were  doubled,  stored 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  food  lo  supply  them 
through  the  following  winter. 

The  rules  in  tlie  foregoing  work,  perhaps, 
may  ha  deemed,  in  some  instances,  too  partic- 
ular ;  yet,  in  all  cases,  they  will  be  found  to 
be  safe  and  unfailing  in  their  application,  liable 
to  exceptions,  such  as  are  incident  to  all  spe- 
cific rules. 


